This column has previously touched on the subject of minority police recruiting–its necessity as well as its obvious challenges. As we assess our own area, it’s been encouraging to note the pro-activity of its two largest cities.
Recruiting, however, takes time–and, yes, luck. What helps in the short term, however, are high-profile minorities who necessarily send a signal that this is everybody’s police force and everybody’s laws that need enforcing. Those who arrest are also those who protect.
* Four months ago, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman hand-picked Tony Holloway as police chief. He had served in that capacity in Clearwater. What Kriseman got was a hands-on, African-American, “park, walk and talk” exponent. A chief who wanted his officers out and about, familiarizing themselves with communities too often wary of a uniformed police presence.
To underscore his hands-on approach, Chief Holloway still conducts traffic stops and responds as backup on calls. Even the police union, which was publicly critical of Kriseman for hiring outside the normal process, acknowledges that morale is way up.
* Earlier this month, retiring Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor chose Deputy Chief Eric Ward as her new assistant chief. Ward, an African-American Tampa native with 26 years on the force, is now TPD’s No. 2. We’ll be seeing a lot of him in the media–but so will those in the east Tampa he’s known from his Belmont Heights days.
Ward has distinguished himself commanding the special operations unit and has worked street crimes, narcotics squad and SWAT team. Hardly surprising is that he also served as a hostage negotiator; his communication skills are that well honed. That’s a prerequisite for an assistant chief in a major city police force with nearly 1,000 sworn personnel.
“I believe in talking to people,” says Ward. “It’s all about trying to break that chain of learned behavior.”